recycling - the blog version

Recycling is good for the environment. 

Yep. 

I saw a recycling can outside of someone's house today (true story). It made me think.... recycling stories, testimonies, REAL life stuff (not to be confused with fake life stuff)...is good for the soul. 

Now before you silently disagree with me or click away from the page because this crazy lady is talking about garbage cans...let me explain. 

I am NOT saying new, authentic stories and testimonies are not Ah-mazing. Because they are. These new movements are evidence that our God is an active and ever-present God. 

What I AM saying is this...

It is good for our soul, our faith, our hope, and our relationship with Christ -- to not only remember what He did on the cross for us and what He has done in just our lives but to also recycle, re-use, share, and carry in our hearts the stories of our God and all of his people. To take the "old" stories (even if they are only a day old), make them reproducible, redistribute and reuse. Never waste a good, true, and genuine God/life/love story. Never.

SO

Carry that story about the sweet young guy (hypothetical) you saw on Facebook who was dealt tough circumstances --Remember how God redeemed his situation, changed his heart, re-directed his life and then went on to make an eternal impact. 

The miracle stories are memorable and powerful. But don't count the every day stories as useless. -- the testaments - truths about tough life stuff, hardships, and pain - and how a person was able to transform their attitude, radically change their path, and gain the courage to dream big for God. All of these stories then inspire us to dream big and allow God to write us into the ultimate story that He is writing. (Spoiler Alert: God overcomes the world.) 

These stories -- whether heard from the Bible, a blog, a book, a neat video with cool camera angles or just by word of mouth - revive our spirits. Your story will encourage others and give you strength and faith when you feel lost. 

So let's recycle. Retell and remember your personal story and others' stories. Remember those times you didn't think you could last another day and then -- God threw you a sturdy lifeline. Retell the miracle story you heard or witnessed. Big, small, joy, pain, heartache, sickness, love, healing ---God is in your story. Share it. 

Carry these in your heart. Reignite faith in your community.

In the spirit of recycling, here is a part of my story (a chapter, if you will) that I wrote in 2011 for another blog (Bloom by Nicole!)  as a guest blogger. I have never shared it on my blog, so here it is. I want to hear your stories. I want to feel inspired by God, through you. 

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Tuesday October 11, 2011 - Lessons Learned Guest Series on Bloom the Blog

I love Tuesday.  I get the chance to share amazing stories and beautiful women with you.  This week I bring you sweet, Dana.  I found this girl only a few months ago and her blog is one I never skip over.  She’s got a hilarious sense of humor and a remarkable outlook on life.  This story will leave you in chills. -Nicole

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Hey guys! I’m Dana and I blog over at the abundant life blog.

I was so excited when Nicole asked me to guest post in her ‘Lessons Learned’ series! After she asked me, I was overwhelmed with possibility. I have learned SO many lessons over the years. God has brought me through so many tough trials and taught me so many lessons during those tough days.

So after some thinking and some praying (two very important things to do before writing a very personal blog post), I decided on a lesson that I learned not long ago. A lesson that was so powerful, and so ‘in yo face’, I decided how could I not share it?

So in order to share this lesson with you fine peoples, I must share some of my story, Its very integral to the lesson, you see.

I have grown up with chronic illness. Pancreatic disease. I was one of those ‘sicky kids’. You know the ones. The ones who missed weeks of school and their heroes came in the form of sweet nurses and all-powerful doctors? Yeah, that was me.

Its okay, you don’t have to feel sorry for me. That’s not the point of this here story.

My chronic illness caused me to get sicker and sicker. So in April of this year, I decided to have a transplant surgery. A very innovative and new surgery. Also, a very dangerous surgery.

We prayed and we prayed that this surgery would be the ticket to the healthy life I dreamed about.

So eventually the decision was made. I would have this scary surgery. It would be my answer. We trusted God had led us to this surgery.

Ladies (and possibly gentlemen), I wish I could put into words what came next. It truly was unfathomable. The scariest/darkest/worst time for my family and I. However, this time ended up being an amazing display of God in a room full of dumbfounded doctors/scientists -- declaring it a miracle. 

A few days after my transplant surgery, things started to go downhill. I had major complications. I had major internal bleeding originating from the liver and portal vein (found that out later) and had emergency surgery. The doctors didn’t know if I would make it through the night. I then slipped into a coma for days.

And that is when my family saw a miracle.

 As I lay in the hospital bed dying, people from all over the country and world (crazy right? I can’t even believe it) prayed that I would wake up. People I had never met. People that some how (hello, God) heard my story and prayed for me.

And these are just people that I have pictures of! There were so many more not pictured that reached out in many different ways.

They prayed big. They prayed boldly. They prayed prayers of expectation. They prayed with the knowledge that God would show up. That He would bring the big guns. That He would part the seas.

And He did.

God showed up. I woke up several long days later - after these amazing people got down on their knees, wherever they were and prayed a bold prayer. With the knowledge that our God saves. That He is an active God.

Doctors could not save me (and I know this sounds dramatic, but its just what happened). They could not get me to wake up and at the time they did not understand why I wasn't waking up or improving. When my turnaround started, they were simply in awe and honestly, a little confused. But even my surgeons could only explain it as a miracle.

So what I ask myself is this, why do I not pray big every day?

Since I know my God is an active God and I know from experience He answers prayers, why do I not pray boldly each day?

Hm. 

I can pray these big prayers every day. I don’t have to wait for another literal life-saving moment to pray to my God. He listens every day. I should pray with expectation and assurance. I should have faith that He can and will (in his way, in his timing) part the seas of my daily struggles. Because that is who my God is. He is a God of miracles and a God of compassion.

Let’s pray big today.

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So that's just a piece of the pie. If you know me or read my blog, you know there is no miracle cure for my illnesses. I will be pain free one day. But until that day, I hope to continue to learn and grow from my struggles. I have gone through hell and back, struggled with regret and sadness, and LEARNED so much since I wrote this post. But my WORD. Its all true, y'all. This story, whether it happened yesterday or 25 years ago, it is a story of our active God. 
My blog also chronicles some of my struggles since this guest post was written --- those stories I also carry in my heart pocket to pull out when I need courage. 

Recycling - Sharing - Reviving 

It's the name of the game, peeps. 

living abundantly,

Dana